Off the line, my '97 4.6L, 3.55LS, SC, 4x4, auto had more neck snapping power than my '99 with the 5.4L engine (basically the same truck as the '97). However, once the truck gets going, the 5.4L's power comes on way stronger than the 4.6L did. I honestly don't know why the '97 had better throttle response from a stop. I had never driven a vehicle like that. Hitting the gas 1/4 throttle was like going 1/2 to 3/4 throttle on other vehicles.

As for spinning the wheels, well, that totally depends on the surface of the street that I'm on. It's virtually impossible for me to spin the wheels on new asphalt. On the other hand, if I turn even slightly and hit the gas, the tires start squeeling.

Bottom line for me is the '97 was a lot more fun to drive in the city. The '99 is way better on the open road.

 

Guys it takes alot of torque to get these vehicles moving. I think our biggest mistake is going with large diameter exhaust pipe, which kill torque, large tires without going to a numericaly higher gear ratio. If you race someone and you can hookup you will have a much better 60ft time than if you spin your tires. It looks great for showing off but your not getting any where.

 

Boss96Hog:
Couple of things:

"Performance car motors are built with a much shorter stroke(how far the piston actually goes up and down) which allows the motor to reach a much higher RPM. Higher RPM means a larger range to achieve more HP, but also means less torque. This is why a "stroker" motor is so popular. It combines the short stroke of a car design motor with a larger bore size(ie. a chevy 383 is a 400 block with a car design 350 crank, larger bore, shorter stroke). This allows you to increase your engine size without sacraficing the higher RPMs of a short stroke motor, thus making more HP."

Well, you are kind of backwards there. A 383 Chevy "stroker" is a 350 block with a 400 crank, and you get more stroke with the same bore. What you describeed is a "de-stroked" 400. You can't decrease the stoke and increase your engine size. A de-stroked motor is good for high RPMS. A "stroker" is usually not as solid at high rpms as the original engine due to the rod angles.

"Now some of the 80's mustangs came with a 351 Winsor"

Never heard or seen any of these. Never heard of any engine bigger than a 302 in a Mustang from 1979 til now, excluding the Cobra R models. I'm sure if there were 351's in Mustangs from the factory, the 351 swaps into Fox body Mustangs wouldn't be such a pain.

 

what

 

I don't believe the contents of this thread!
There are engineers out there that believe it or not listen to what the public is saying about vehicles they help to design. They work as hard as they can to build in features that make vehicles safe and very capable. You want to go no where quickly, then get yourself a 2wd Ford Ranger. Make sure to request the SPORT model with 14" stock rims and 8" wide tires. You will also want an "open" differential with no limited slip and then go for a ride in rain or snow. You will begin to wonder why you didn't get an F150 sooner. There is a reason why the wheels don't spin. The engineers, who designed it, did not want you to spin them. You take a 4x4 into a "Tread Lightly" area or pull a trailer in the snow or rain and these are reasons enough to warrant the clutch packs in the LS differential, the 33" tires, and the so called "slushy" performance from the electronic transmission.



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99 4X4 XLT S/C with ORP
5.4L 3.73LS
Flow Master Dual Exhaust
K&N Filter w/ Intake Mod
Flex-a-Lite Black Magic 150 Electric Cooling Fan
Jason "Hugger" Truck Lid

 

I could say the same thing about my 2000 F150 5.4 feeling a bit weaker then the last truck I had. But this feeling has plagued me on every truck I have bought new. I always have 2 trucks at a time and the new one always feels a bit weaker then the old one. After seeing this for many years I have realized that every single truck lost this feeling after about 10000 miles. I bought a New truck in 88 and then replaced it in 1991, the 1991 seems like a dog compared to the old. In 94 when I replaced the 91 the same thing, and yes again in 1999. Every single truck seemed to get over this after a few miles. I think the problem is you are comparing a broke in vehicle to a non broke in. PS. While waiting for my 2000 to come in I was driving a brand new 4.6, and it felt very week, but earlier the dealer had me driving a used truck (4.6) off their lot with 28k miles and it felt great. I think everyone should give the truck 10000 miles and if it still seems very weak, then start looking for a problem.

 

Ranger, I bet your engineers would love to see this 3 min vid. http://www.dieselhp.com/stp2.ram

 

Wow! Another conspiracy theory against Ford and commercials available on F150online. I'm sure southern truck perfomance will throw in a free block when your's cracks....because they aren't out for money...like that Ford dealer.

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The Truck: 1997 Black F-150 Flareside. Regular Cab ORP and Towing Package
The Mods: K&N Filter, Eurolid Hard Tonneau, Profile Windstream Side Deflectors and Lund X-Terminator Bug Deflector.
The Site:
Triton's 4.6 Liter Web Page

 

See, Powerlifter, I *told* you you'd be treading on hallowed ground

I can really 'turn heads' when I spin the tires while towing my trailer (yes, with the trailer).

It's really not hard, since I use the weight-distributing hitch and the trailer shifts it's center of gravity when under acceleration.

If I floor it from a traffic light, the tires will wake the dead (it was even more of a head-turner with the 6.2L Diesel in my Surburban) -- and since it usually causes my wife to suck the oxygen out of the cab, I use this trick sparingly.

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Y2K™

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"

 

I imagine everything I'm saying here has been repeated in some form or another, but:

These are trucks we are talking about are they not? A great many of them are very heavy extra cab 4x4's. These ARE NOT performance vehicles, even with all of the mods available, they are not intended to be performance vehicles. They are utility vehicles which will do many things that a "sports car" will not (pull a boat, not get stuck in 2 feet of snow, etc.).

The 5.4 from what I understand, is an excellent engine . . . from what I've read in many magazines, the BEST truck engine that is currently available. I say from what I understand because my truck has the 4.6, which is still an excellent engine and will do 95% of what most people expect from a truck. If you need more there is the 5.4, the V10 or the diesel.

If you need a truck to accelerate fast, handle well or feel sporty, a subercab 4X4 is not for you.

As far as the Mustang vs. Z28 comment, why would Ford change a thing? They currently outsell the Z28's/Firebirds's by a considerable margin. Until they start losing market share, why would you mess with success? Besides, the new mustangs are not exactly a slouch in most people's regards.

 

Amen!

What more could be said?

 

Powerlifter405,
I agree with you 100%. The past few weeks, I have been moving my office filing cabinets and desks with my truck. I also moved a yard of three quarter gravel and the truck seems pretty anemic. My last truck with the 351 Cleveland pulled everything from my 1968 R Code Mustang to large Boats. I wished that Ford never screwed with an engine that they were using for decades. Bugman.

 

i have a dump truck thats not near as fast as my viper for some reason

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2KF150/5.4/LS/Class 3/Blue

 

powerlifter405,

If you want more power go to the Computer Chips section and look up Neal the HP freak. He has well over 300 hp from his 5.4. The mods are out there, finding them is the hard part.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

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00 F-150 XLT SC Flairside 4x4 4.6 w/5spd 3.55LSD
Warn XD9000i, skid plates, Draw tite class III,
Rancho RSX Reflex shocks,
Borla Cat Back
Modified Air Cleaner Outlet Tube
and air box, K&N air filter,
Superchips

 

Feet don't fail me now!



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